Increase of communication capacity within chips, boards, modules, and subsystems of chips is limited today due to the electrical interconnects that are used in the chips, boards, modules, and subsystems of chips. Optical interconnects are considered as enabling better performance than electrical interconnects, for example in terms of bandwidth and susceptibility to electromagnetic noise, and therefore photonic integrated circuit (PIC) devices that use optical interconnects have been developed.
PIC devices and optical interconnects for optical backplanes and chip-to-chip communication are described in the following publications:
Published US Patent application US2004/0067006 A1 of Welch et al, which describes transmitter photonic integrated circuit (TXPIC) chips;
an article entitled “Linking with Light”, by Neil Savage, in IEEE Spectrum, August 2002, pages 32-36;
an article entitled “Self-Organized Lightwave Network Based on Waveguide Films for Three-Dimensional Optical Wiring Within Boxes”, by Yoshimura et al in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 22, No. 9, September 2004, pages 2091-2099;
an article entitled “Board-Level Optical Interconnection and Signal Distribution Using Embedded Thin-Film Optoelectronic Devices”, by Cho et al in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 22, No. 9, September 2004, pages 2111-2118;
an article entitled “Optical Backplane System Using Waveguide-Embedded PCBs and Optical Slots”, by Yoon et al in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 22, No. 9, September 2004, pages 2119-2127;
an article entitled “PCB-Compatible Optical Interconnection Using 45°-Ended Connection Rods and Via-Holed Waveguides”, by Rho et al in Journal of Lightwave Technology, Vol. 22, No. 9, September 2004, pages 2128-2134; and
an article entitled “Board-to-Board Optical Interconnection System Using Optical Slots”, by Cho et al in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 16, No. 7, July 2004, pages 1754-1756.
Further aspects of technologies and related art that may be useful in understanding the present invention are described in the following publications:
Implementation Agreement OIF-TL-01.1 entitled “Tunable Laser Implementation Agreement”, Selvik et al, of the Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group of the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), dated 27 Nov. 2002 at the web site www.oiforum.com/public/impagreements.html;
Implementation Agreement OIF-TLMSA-01.1 entitled “Multi-Source Agreement for CW Tunable Lasers”, Jeff Hutchins et al, of the Physical and Link Layer (PLL) Working Group of the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), dated 30 May 2003 at the web site www.oiforum.com/public/impagreements.html;
Implementation Agreement OIF-ITLA-MSA-01.1 entitled “Integratable Tunable Laser Assembly Multi Source Agreement”, Jeff Hutchins et al, Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF), dated 15 Jun. 2004 at the web site www.oiforum.com/public/impagreements.html;
An OIF document entitled “OIF Tunable Laser Projects”, by Jeff Hutchins at the web site www.oiforum.com/public/whitepapers.html;
an article entitled “Standardizing Tunable Lasers”, by Jeff Hutchins in Photonics Spectra, June 2004, pages 88-92;
an article entitled “Surface-Emitting Laser—Its Birth and Generation of New Optoelectronics Field”, by Kenichi Iga, in IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, Vol. 6, No. 6, November/December 2000, pages 1201-1215;
an article entitled “VCSELs turn to high-speed transmission”, by Jeff Hecht in Laser Focus World, February 2001, pages 123-130;
an article entitled “Packet switching takes steps toward optical”, by Jeff Hecht in Laser Focus World, June 2002, pages 131-139;
an article entitled “Optical Signal Processing for Optical Packet Switching Networks”, by Blumenthal et al in IEEE Optical Communications, February 2003, pages S23-S29;
an article entitled “Restoration schemes for agile photonic networks”, by Peter Roorda et al in Lightwave Europe, August 2003, pages 10-12;
an article entitled “Photonic Crystals Show Promise for Wiring Optical Chips”, by Dr. Dominic F. G. Gallagher in EuroPhotonics, February/March 2004, pages 20-21;
an article entitled “A Novel Polarization Splitter Based on the Photonic Crystal Fiber With Nonidentical Dual Cores”, by Zhang et al in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Vol. 16, No. 7, July 2004, pages 1670-1672;
an article entitled “Photonic Crystals: A Growth Industry”, by Daniel C. McCarthy in Photonics Spectra, June 2002, pages 54-60;
an article entitled “IETF Work on Protection and Restoration for Optical Networks”, by David W. Griffith in Optical Networks Magazine, July/August 2003, pages 101-106;
an article entitled “All-Optical Switching Technologies for Protection Applications”, by Appelman et al in IEEE Optical Communications, November 2004, pages S35-S40;
Chapter 6 on pages 57-72 in The Fiber Optic LAN Handbook, Fifth Edition, Codenol® Technology Corporation, 1993;
The following chapters in The Communications Handbook, CRC Press & IEEE Press, 1997, Editor-in-Chief Jerry D. Gibson: Chapter 57 on pages 774-788; Chapter 60 on pages 824-831; and Chapter 64 on pages 872-882;
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/619,413 of Handelman, filed 16 Jul. 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,167,620, which describes devices and methods for all-optical processing and storage;
The following published US Patent Applications: US 2003/0048506 A1; US 2003/0043430 A1; US 2002/0048067 A1; US 2004/0184714 A1; and US 2004/0208418 A1; and
The following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,404,522; 6,574,018; 6,738,581; and 6,763,191.
The disclosures of all references mentioned above and throughout the present specification, as well as the disclosures of all references mentioned in those references, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.